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Tag Archives: French buildings

1. Joint Healthcare Waste and Resources Research Group and ISWA International conference

In conjunction with the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), the Group will be hosting an international conference on April 14 and 15, 2016. It will be held at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust in London. More details to follow.

2. Landfill Tax set to rise

Landfill tax is due to rise with inflation on 1 April, taking it from £80 per tonne to £82.60, Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC) confirmed. It will increase in England, Wales and Northern Ireland from £80 to £82.60 per tonne as a result of a change in Finance Act 2014.

France has introduced a law that requires the roofs of buildings constructed in commercial zones to be at least partially covered by solar panels or plants. The law, which was passed on the 19 March, is a weaker version of what environmental activists were lobbying for. The initial call was for all new buildings to have “living roofs”. Businesses will now be able to cover only part of their roof in plants and can if they wish substitute photovoltaic panels.

France is behind other western European countries in terms of its solar power effort. Whereas Germany has a peak capacity of about 40GW and Italy has 17GW, France has only 5GW, about the same as the UK – which is more reliant on wind power. Its solar capacity actually dropped in 2013, and now accounts for only 6% of total European capacity.

ISWA is pleased to announce the 2015 edition of ISWA’s online short video competition known as “ISWA Video Award” is now open for submissions. The theme of the contest is ‘Waste’. Entries shall explore the theme ‘Waste’ as one of the major global problems of our society in an original, witty way.

Whether documentary, fiction, animation or a combination thereof – the decision about the film genre as well as the technical realisation is left up to the contestant. Only the length of the film is specified. The video must be minimum 30 seconds and should not exceed a total duration of 80 seconds.

The competition is open to individual entrants aged over 18 only, not to, or in association with any business or organisation. The Prize for the Winner is 1,500 Euros, for the second place 750 Euros.

The award presentation will take place at the Gala dinner at the ISWA 2015 World Congress in Antwerp, Belgium.